LITTLE WHITE-FEONTED GOOSE. 107 



existed in the nomenclature of this bird. In this paper Mr. Newton 

 clearly establishes the fact that the Little White-fronted Goose is the 

 true Anas erythropus of Linnaeus, (Syst. Nat., ed. 10, p. 123, No. 

 7,) and the Anser cinerea fronte-alha, No. 92 of the "Fauna Suecica," 

 published in 1746. 



This name, Anser erythropus, has been applied by most modern 

 ornithologists to the Greater White-fronted Goose, f Anser alhifrons,) 

 and by Pennant, Latham, and others to the Barnicle (which has 

 black feet) as well. I trust, however, that in all future histories of 

 these birds the synonyme will be omitted, and the specific name 

 erythropus applied solely to the subject of the present notice. 



Mr. Newton's paper being reprinted in the "Ibis," I shall merely 

 here give a resume of the arguments by which the above facts have 

 been established. It appears that the late lamented Mr. Wolley was 

 only able to find in all his researches in Lapland, two species of 

 Wild Goose inhabiting that extensive district. These Geese were 

 known to the Finns as the "Isohani" or Great Goose, and the 

 "Killio-hani" or Mountain Goose. The former he found was the 

 well-known Bean Goose, and the latter, to his surprise, he found 

 what he termed the small race of the White-fronted Goose, the Anser 

 minutus of Naumann. This fact was more surprising to him because 

 he had been assured by the Swedish naturalists that the Mountain 

 Goose was A. leucopsis, or the Barnicle, to which Pennant and 

 Latham had erroneously applied the name erythropus. Mr. Newton, 

 carrying on his researches, shews that some of the Swedish naturalists 

 were aware that the Mountain Goose was not A. leucopsis, as 

 Zetterstedt, in his Travels in Lapland, (Kesa genom Sweriges och 

 Norriges Lappmarker, af Joh. Wilh. Zetterstedt, 2 vols. 8vo, Lund., 

 1822,) as well as Gunner, in some notes to Leem's work upon 

 Lapland, points out, (as indicated by Mr. Wolley in his catalogue of 

 eggs published in 1857,) that this Mountain Goose was a distinct 

 species, to which he gave the name of Anser Jinmarchicus. 



Mr. Newton has kindly sent me an extract from Leem's work and 

 Bishop Gunner's notes in Latin, of which the following is a translation: 

 — "In Eastern Finmark it is said there is found a certain species of 

 Wild Goose, distinct froin others both in colour, and in being of a 

 smaller size. They are characterized by their dark brown back, white 

 belly spotted with black, and a white collar about the eyes. The flesh 

 of this kind is not of a disagreeable flavour, nor do their eggs differ 

 much in goodness from those which domestic geese lay." Upon this 

 Bishop Gunner makes the following note: — "This lesser species is 

 commonly called Finmark-Gaas — the Finmark Goose, and is much less 



